Stars, ZADR
by Hazzybat
Summary: Zim never thought about what happened after death. Why should he? He had been brought up in the military where everything was efficient and emotionless. They had no time or reason to think about what happened to a person's soul, mind or spirit after death. but when the Dib-thing's life is taken Zim's view just might change. ZADR and a little sadness.


Stars

ZADR story

Zim never thought about what happened after death. Why should he? He had been brought up in the military where everything was efficient and emotionless. They had no time or reason to think about what happened to a person's soul, mind or spirit after death. No, that wasn't the Irken way. They just saw it as an inconvenience when the end came to a long Irken life. When an Irken died the body was either broken down to be used as fertilizer or they were experimented on. Nothing is wasted and no time is spent mourning that could be spent working. The only exception was a tallest. They were treated with respect and all the information in their paks downloaded into the control brains. The body was usually burned in a short ceremony and then everyone moved on with their lives.

But since coming to earth Zim discovered that the humans thought a lot about what happened after death. There were so many different theories and ideas that Zim couldn't keep track if it all. He also discovered that because of these strange and pointless beliefs many wars were fought over who was right. It made no sense to the small Irken as to why the humans would fight over such a trivial thing as what happened to a person once their heart stopped. But he went off to regard it as a strange human thing.

Years passed and the Irken still fought with Dib but never over what happened after death. But slowly the fights and the rivalry between the two began to diminish. At school they kept up the act but in truth many a night would be spent on one or the others rooftop staring up at the sky and talking. Almost like friends but they would never admit it.

It was during one of these chats that Zim remembered the particularly boring lesson on the holy wars earlier that day.

"Dib" the Irken addressed the human "what do you believe happens after death? Aside from the ghost thing you explained to me."

Dib looked at him curiously. "Why do you ask Zim? What do you believe?"

"Me? I don't believe any of the rot the pig- smellys think up. Nothing happens. You die and that's it" the Irken responded.

"Really? Nothing?"

"No. Now you still need to answer my question human. What do you believe?" Zim was irritated with the human.

Dib sighed wondering if he should really tell Zim. Finally he sighed and explained, "Well when Gaz and me were really little our mum died. I don't really remember her and at the time we were too small to know what death was. I asked my father and he was strangely fatherly to us. He took us outside and pointed up at the night sky. "You see that star son?" he was pointing to a really bright new star. "That's your mother. She's gone away to the stars because she loved them so"" Dib sighed. He knew it was stupid but it comforted him. He continued, "I found out later that she had died but what my father said stuck with me. I always saw that star as my mother. That was her soul, her mind, her heart." Dib pointed out the star in question.

Zim listed intently. Dib had never opened up to anyone like this. Zim thought it was stupid but for once he could see that it meant something to Dib. "I'm sure that you female parent-unit is happy." Zim looked at the star. "But you do know that stars are just burning gasses right?" he just had to kill the mood.

Dib glared at him. " I know it's stupid alright. You don't have to tease me. Besides I don't think everyone turns into a star. Only people that matter. And besides they could be a star in another galaxy."

"You humans think such stupid smelly thoughts."

And with that the conversation was over. Back at his base Zim couldn't stop thinking about what Dib had said. Going by that then a tallest must become a very important star. One with planets and a solar system. Maybe this earths sun was a fallen tallest?

From then one Zim saw the stars in a different way. Preferring to look at them as dead Irken elite, then awful, annoying pig- smellies.

Zim wasn't prepared when Dib informed him of his terminal illness. A cancer-like dieses that was hard to find until it was to late. It tuned out Dib had been dying since about the day he was born. He would be dead within the week. The clock ticked over and Dib got sicker and sicker and soon unable to move on his own. Zim couldn't just stand back and do nothing while the one person he regarded as a friend slowly died. An idea came to him. He couldn't heal Dib, it was to late for that, but he could give him a proper send off and show him the one thing he loved before he died.

Dib was lying in his hospital bed awaiting death. This was his last night alive and he just wanted it to be over, just wanted the darkness to take him, just wanted to be among the stars. Just then he heard someone opening the window. He cracked open an eye to stare into two magenta ones.

"I want to show you one last thing," Zim whispered to him as he picked the boy up with no difficulties. Dib was so weak and frail Zim felt like he was carrying a bag of twigs.

Using his spider legs he brought Dib up to the roof and into the voot cruiser that was parked there. Being ever so carful so as not to jostle Dib and put him in to much pain he flew the ship up and out of the atmosphere. "You can look around now" Zim informed the sick Dib.

Carefully Dib opened his honey colored eyes and stared. There were so many stars. And they were all so bright and beautiful. They didn't twinkle like they did on earth but stayed motionless in the endless black sky. Dib was entranced. Never in his life could he have imagined so many beautiful stars. Using up a far bit of strength he said, "Thank you Zim."

Zim looked down at the little boy in his lap. Only then did he let his emotions begin to come. "Please don't go Dib. I need you. You are the only human worth anything to the Zim. Please don't go up to the stars. Please don't go. Please" A few tears splashed down onto Dib's pale face. For the first time in a long time Dib smiled. With the last of his strength he reached up and kissed Zim. He pulled away and whispered, "I'll be waiting for you. I love you…Zim." And with that Dib closed his eyes for the last time.

Zim had never cried like he did then. Long and loud and hard. The tears streaming down his face and splashing onto Dib's now content one. After almost an hour of sobbing Zim was all dried out, he looked up and now it was his turn to stare. A new star hung in the sky. A beautiful blue shining in the black void of space. "Dib-star" Zim whispered out. Using his standard issue ocular implants he could see that the star was halfway between irk and earth.

After another hour of staring at the new star, crying some more and wondering what he would do, Zim came back to earth and carefully placed Dib back in the hospital bed. Just as he was about to leave he remembered the kiss Dib gave him just before he died. He went back over to the lifeless body and kissed it. He told it "that's payback. And don't worry Dibblet I'll come to you. One day"

Four months went by. Zim stopped going to school. What was the point anymore? Dib was gone and wasn't coming back and Zim had been informed shortly after Dib's death that his mission was a fake and that he was banished to earth forever.

So now Zim spent every night looking up at the stars and talking to the Dib-star as if he was still here.

"Gir tried to make a flambé today. He almost burned the house down." Zim laughed half-heartedly and looked back at the blue star. "You would have laughed at that." Zim look down sadly. He missed Dib so much. He had loved the human. He had made his mission fun. He enjoyed the talks on the roof and all the fun times they had. Dib gave Zim a reason to live on this ball of acid and filth. But now he was gone and with him went Zim's will to live. "Can I come join you now?" Zim asked the blue star. He didn't wait for a response from the star, instead standing up and saying "I'm coming and when I do you are in such trouble. You left me here and you didn't come back and you didn't give me time to say I love you. Because I do. I love you very much Dib thing. And so I'm coming to you. Just like you wanted." With that Zim sent a message to Gir telling him he was free and that Zim would be going away for a long time. Once that was done Zim opened up the compartment on his wrist that held the self-destruct button. As he pressed it a tear fell from his magenta eye and he whispered, "I'm coming Dib."

In a second all the memory and data from Zim's pak deleted it's self and shutting off Zim's brain, killing him instantly. Before his body could hit the ground a flame engulfed the body letting the ashes blow away in the wind. Not a trace was left of the ex- Irken invader Zim.

If anyone had looked up to the sky that night and saw the little blue star, they would have also seen a new star shining next to it. A bright red star. Big and beautiful like the eyes of the Irken's soul held within.

Finally the two were together, hanging in the endless black sky forever.


End file.
